Improvement in automatic relief-valves



' ALBERT F. ALLEN.

Improvement '1n Relief Valves.

ALBERT VF. ALLEN, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

IIPROVENIENT IN AUTOMATIC RELiEF-VALVES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 120,925, dated November14, 1671.

To all whom 'it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT F. ALLEN, ofthe city and county of Providenceand State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Automatic Relief-Valves for Fire- Engines, Steam-Pumps,&c., of which the following is a specification:

My present invention is particularly applicable to the relief-valvepatented by me, April 18, 1871; and it consists partially in socombining a relief-valve with a hydraulic-lever that the connectionsWill be within the main chamber, and thereby render it possible todispense with stuffing-boxes or packing; second, in so forming thehydraulic lever that it will offer a greater degree of resistance in allpositions to the passing current flowing through the main chamber, andtherefore giving it more power with which to control the relief-valve;third, in providing an independent means for controlling the reliefvalveproper, by reason of which an intermediate valve between it and the pumpmay be dispensed with during the. operation of raising water by suction;fourth, in a novel method of adjusting the hydraulic lever with relationto the valve so that it will have much or little power over the valve asmay be desired, and fifth, in providing a packing for the relief-valvestem, which will render it air and water-tight without occasioning anyundue lfriction upon the stem, and which will require no adjustment fromtime to time and be self-lubricating; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing specification, taken in connection with the drawing furnishedand forming a part ofthe saine, is a clear, true, and exact descriptionof a relief-valve embodying my several improvements.

Referring to the drawing, Figure 1 representsl one of my improved valvesin perspective. Fig. 2 represents the saine in longitudinal verticalVsection with the relief-valve open. Fig. 3 represents the same as inFig. 2, with the relief'- valve closed. Fig. 4 represents the hydrauliclever in perspective.

A represents the main chamber of the valve. It is connected at the end awith a pipe leading to the interior of the base of the air-chamber ofthe pump with which it is to be used. All Water passing from pump tohose iiows through this chamber in the direction of the arrow N o. l. Brepresents the auxiliary-chamber of the reliefvalve. It communicateswith the interior ofthe main chamber A, and also by a pipe with the ,A

suction-chamber of the pump through the port I. rlj C represents therelief-valve proper; it controls' the opening between the chambers A andB. ln this instance the valve and its stem (l are constructed of onepiece of cast metal. The stem is turned down to two diameters; therebeing at l a shoulder above which the stem is smaller than it is belowthat point. The top of the stem is so formed that it can readily begrasped and turned by the hand. For the purpose of rendering therelief-valve stem air-and-water-tight in its sleeve it is provided withseveral circumferential recesses, as clearly shown in the drawing. Afterusing the valve in the usual manner these recesses become charged withwater, which not only thoroughly packs the stem but lubricates it. Nofriction is created, nor is any adjustment of packing requisite fromtime to time. Similar recessed spaces have been long in use inconnection with the pistons of pumps and steam-engines; and I do nottherefore broadly claim them. Such recesses, however, have never beforemy invention, to my knowledge, been employed in connection with avalve-stem or piston-rod. In a relief-valve it is desirable that theaction of the valve be as free as possible, and at the same time be notonly water-tight but air-tight, as will be hereafter more fullyexplained. D represents the hydraulic lever, which is pivoted to theupper-side walls of the main chamber A. The long end of the lever isfan-shaped, as shown in Fig. 4, and when down completely fills thecircumferential outline of the chamber A. As heretofore constructed thislever was straight from the pivot to the long end; with a system oflevers, as shown in my former patent, the current exercised sufcientforce against the lever to enable it to control the relief-valve. Withthe lon g end of the lever curved, substantially as described, a greatersurface is exposed to the current, and at an angle more nearly right 7to the longitudinal central line of the main chamber'than if straight,and therefore a lever so curved can exercise a greater force in holdingthe valve to its seat. It is essential, owing to the direct connectionof the lever to the valve, that as much current power be used as canpossibly be employed without materially obstructing the main chamber. Erepresents a screw-spindle, which enters a longitudinal -threadcd recessin the valvestem C passing through the center of the valve (1. The lowerend of this spindle is provided with a vertical central slot, e, ofsufficient capacity to freely receive the short end of the hydrauliclever. F represents the cap of the auxiliary-val ve chamber; it isprovided with a sleeve which projects down into the interior of thechamber, and upward above the outside face of the cap. Its interior istted to receive the valvestem C at its largest diameter. The lower endof this sleeve serves as a stop to ihe upward movement of the valve. Theupper end of the sleeve has un exterior screw-thread cut thereon. Grepresents a valve-holdin g device, which consists, in this instance, ofa screw-cap fitted to the upper end of the upper sleeve; through thiscap the valvestem C extends, to the smallest diameter of which above theshoulder d the top of the cap is fitted. H represents a circular setnut,fitted to the screw on the sleeve 5 it is used for securing thescrew-cap G in any desired position. I represents the relief-portalready referred to in connection with the auxiliary-chamber B.

Having thus described the several parts in detail, I will now explaintheir operation. For the purposes oi' illustration it will be assumedthat a valve like that herein described is attached to a steamfire-engine, and that water is iiowing under pressure from a to bthrough the valve from the pump to a line of hose. 2, the relief-valvewill be held to its seat by the force of the current acting against thecurved face of the hydraulic-lever D. So long as the current flows andexercises a certain force upon the lever the valve cannot be opened.Should the current be obstructed in the hose or cut off by a valve atthe hose-pipe, the lever exercises no power upon the valve, which is, ofcourse, speedily opened by whatever pressure there may be in the mainchamber, and the water passes through the valve and auxiliary-chamber bythe way of the port I back to the suction-chamber of the pump, andcirculates through and through i the pump without causing any strainwhatever,

either upon the pump or upon any of the adjacent parts, nor upon theline of hose. As soon as the obstruction in the hose is removed, or thevalve at the hose-pipe reopened, the current acting upon the levercloses the relief-valve, which so remains until another occasion for itsbeing opened, when the operation will be repeated, as before described.Whenever the pump is drawing water by suction it is, of course,essential that the pump and all its communicating parts As shown inFig.`

should be air-tight. In my original patent I describe and claim anauxiliaryvalve,which is interposed between the relief-valve and thepump, for

the purpose of preventing air from entering the l suction-chamber by theway of the relief-valve. With my improvement the relief-valve in itselfis capable of performing this function. The screwcap G, b v being turneddown so as to bear upon the projection d of the valaestcm, so holds thevalve to its seat that no air can enter. A great variety of means may asWell be employed for holding the valve to its seat.y It is evident thatthe power which the lever D will exert upon the valve in holding it toits seat will depend upon the angle at which the lever rests when thevalve is closed-as, for instance, if when the valve is closed the leveris but half raised the current exercises a greater force against it thanit would if it were raised to a higher point. I regulate the power ofthe lever by the screw-spindle E, which is tapped into the valve-stem.By turning the valve-stem the spindle is projected or withdrawn, movingwith it the short end of the lever, raising or lowering the long end andholding it firmly at any desired point, without in any manner ai'ectingthe relative positions of the valve and its seat. By the screw-cap Grthe relief-valve can also be limited in its capacity and allowed to openmuch or little, as desired. When a signal bell is to be attached it canbe connected with the valve-stem, substantially as described in myformer Letters Patent.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patentl. The relief-valve and hydraulic-lever connectedwithin the walls ofthe main chamber, as and for the purposes speciiied.

2. The curved-face lever D, in combination with the relief-valve, as andfor the purposes specied.

3. The combination of' the relief-valve with the independentvalve-holding device for conning the valve to its seat and cutting oii'communication with the pump during the operation of drawing water,substantially as described.

4. The combination of the valve-stem, screwspindle, and hydraulic lever,by which the lever may be set at any desired angle by turning thevalve-stem, substantially as described.

5. The stem of an automatic relief-valve, its surrounding sleeve and theannular recesses combined and arranged substantially as described, forthe purposes specified.

Witnesses: ALBERT F. ALLEN.

WM. G. Woon, PHIL. F. LARNER.

